


i know my love should be celebrated

by sweetinyourmemory



Category: The Wilds (TV 2020)
Genre: Coming Out, F/F, Fluff, Soulmates, Supportive Friendship, Supportive Love, becca is still alive and well, becca’s wedding, please they look eachother in the eye and know exactly what they mean to say, soft, they’re in love, they’re just so in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28820730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetinyourmemory/pseuds/sweetinyourmemory
Summary: Shelby takes a deep breath, and shares a look with Toni. Her deep brown eyes tell her “you don’t have to do this, my love, but if you do: you’ve got this. You can do this.” And Shelby’s emerald green eyes reply: “I know, my love, I just needed a few seconds to get ready and breathe.”And she’s ready.“This is Toni Shalifoe,” she says, blushing and voice filled with full determination and pride, “my beautiful girlfriend.”Or the one where Shelby is done with not being able to introduce Toni as her girlfriend, and so she does to like, every guest at Becca’s wedding (with her loving support).
Relationships: Shelby Goodkind/Toni Shalifoe
Comments: 13
Kudos: 154





	i know my love should be celebrated

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not really sure how i wanted this fic to turn out as i wrote it, so it’s a very spontaneous one (that turned out real soft like... all my fics so far lmao) but i just really love these two together and i love writing about them so enjoy :) 
> 
> also english is not my first language so sorry for any mistakes.
> 
> (title is from taylor swift - tolerate it)

“You ready?” Toni asks her girlfriend, with a smirk as she shows up at the front door of her house, all dressed up.

Shelby just freezes right then and there and stares at her with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.  
That’s her girlfriend, right there, in a suit. A fucking suit. Deep pink. Fitted trousers and a half long blazer with a belt complementing her waist. Dark brown hair, straightened. Deep brown eyes, telling her “hi, I’m here and all yours”. 

“What? Do I not look nice enough?” Toni asks teasingly, when she still doesn’t get a reply out of Shelby a few seconds later. It’s the reaction she hoped for though, making her girlfriend be speechless.

“Y-you do. You look…”, Shelby stutters, blushing, and then beaming, and whispers fondly: “Stunning.”

She reaches out her hand, and lets Toni take it so that she can pull her inside the hallway, then she whispers: “Let’s go to my room. I still can’t decide between some dresses, I need your help getting ready.”

Toni doesn’t hesitate and runs up the stairs with her girlfriend. Once they’re inside Shelby’s room, she looks around, searching, ecstatic to see the options of Shelby’s outfits: “Which dresses, babe?”

But instead of a reply, she feels Shelby pushing her onto her bed. “Kiss me.”

Toni smiles into their kiss, enjoying the fact that Shelby is now on top of her in her nightgown. She pulls back for a second: “Oh, okay! We doing this?”

“Have you seen how hot you look?” Shelby replies, all flustered. “You look so hot. I can’t not be making out with you right now, you know that, right?”

“But babe, as bad as I wanna do… certain things to you right now, may I remind you we have a wedding to attend to in… a bit over an hour from now?”

“I know, I know, but I don’t care. We can be quick.”

*******

 _Becca & Jim. 14-08-2021._ Shelby looks at the engraved wooden decoration at the entry of the wedding venue and can’t help but feeling her heart melting into a puddle of love and joy. Her best friend having the most beautiful day of her life and marrying someone who loves her unconditionally, it’s all she ever wished for her. And it’s a _park wedding_ , what’s more magical than that? She thinks it fits so perfectly to Becca’s natural, effortless beauty. 

The loved up girlfriends are searching for their spot to sit, both as excited to see a card that says _“Toni & Shelby”_ in soft cursive letters, but obviously they first have to greet and have small talk with what feels like a thousand of Becca’s family members and friends. Shelby doesn’t usually mind this per se, but this situation is everything but usual, and Toni can notice her girlfriend getting a little bit fidgety. 

So she whispers in her ear: “You okay, babe? We can also just act like we are friends, you know? It’s okay if you change your mind, I promise.”

Shelby shakes her head. She doesn’t want to run away from this anymore. 

Ever since Becca told her she’s getting married, all that has been on her mind – after they screamed and hugged and jumped from happiness – is: I’m gonna take Toni as my date. My plus one. She might not be out to her own family yet – she’s only out to Becca, her other best friends – the unsinkable eight – and Toni’s foster dad, the only person Toni cares about from her foster family – but she wants this to be the first step to coming out to everyone. Or to not having to come out at all, to just _be_. To just _be in love_ with her girlfriend. And to just be able to show how proud and happy this girl makes her feel, not having to hide anymore how lucky she got to date the most beautiful and caring and supportive girlfriend in the whole world.

When she told Toni what her plan was, she was fully supportive but she also showed lots of consideration and protection. She said things like: “but baby, don’t you think that might be too big of a step, coming out to so many people you know, in only one day? I know that you are so done with hiding us, I fully understand, but please make sure you are fully ready first.” Or “babe, if you wanna do this, know that I’m fully supporting you and so proud of you. But if you feel like it might be purely your frustration with hiding and the concept of “having” to come out, please don’t let that control you.” Or “telling one person at a time about us is such a big step too, babe. You came out to several people in less than a year, that’s so brave of you. Don’t discredit yourself on that.”

And all these supportive, protective questions and words from Toni mean the whole world to her. But contrary to what Toni might have thought, it actually encouraged her more to take this step. This big step. Shelby knows that this is gonna be nerve wrecking, that most people will most likely be baffled and judging her, but it’s still what she needs. She needs this, like, milestone. To push herself to do something so difficult, so that after this it can only get easier. The situation might not get easier, because she probably will lose people, and worst of all: her parents – who won’t be at the wedding because of a work trip – will most likely find out soon after, and might want nothing to do with her anymore, but what will get easier is her fear. Fear of hiding and not being free. And if freedom costs her to lose people, then she will take what it’s worth.  
As long as she has people who support her fully for who she is, and who support Toni and herself as a couple, a hundred percent, with no reservation, then she feels she has all she needs. 

The only thing that made her doubt, though, is that she didn’t want to take away the attention from Becca’s wedding or to make the wedding be about something it’s not. She felt guilty when she asked her if she would be okay with her introducing Toni as her girlfriend at her wedding.  
Her best friend then took her hand, though, and smiled her biggest smile: “Shelby, if anything, I feel honoured that you make my special day even more special. And that shouldn’t even be a question! Of course you can introduce your girlfriend as your girlfriend. It should be the most normal thing in the world, and if people think otherwise, then that’s their problem and surely will not ruin my wedding.”  
Shelby felt so relieved and happy, but her guilt feeling wasn’t completely gone just yet.  
“Besides, my wedding dress is so magical it _surely_ will distract them enough,” Becca then added and just like that, they burst out laughing and the guilt vanished. 

Shelby takes Toni’s hand for a few seconds and replies: “No baby, I’ve got this. I love you and everyone should know.”

And just like that, Becca’s cousin Liam and his wife are standing in front of them. “Hey there, looking good, Shelbs!” 

Shelby smiles and nervously bites her lip. “Thank you, so do you two! Love your dress, Julia.”

A short silence. And it could be Shelby’s own nerves, but she could feel even Toni getting nervous. Toni clears her throat and is about to introduce herself, but Shelby interrupts her.

“This is Toni, my girlfriend.”

There it is. It’s out. She looks them straight in the eye, awaiting their reaction, but the thing is she feels like she doesn’t even care about their reaction at this point. What she feels, is pure relief and happiness in her heart. That felt so fucking good. So freeing.

“Well that- That’s nice. Good to meet you, Toni!”, Liam replies after like ten seconds – surprised, but respectful enough to be able to cover that up with toleration – and his wife just smiles friendly as they walk off to greet the next guests. 

“So fucking proud of you, baby”, Toni whispers, tears in her eyes, and she almost instinctually wants to give her a kiss on the cheek but she doesn’t know if that’s too far and too soon and so she doesn’t.

And Shelby’s eye contact and body language show Toni enough to know that she means to say “I love you and your support means the whole world to me. You make me be able to do this.”

And in that moment it feels like the girlfriends are in their own little bubble of love and pride, and they only transferred out of this as two of Becca’s ex classmates, Lily and Abby, show up in front of them. “Hey, Shelbs! Your hair curled like that looks so pretty! How have you been?”

“Thank you! Good, how about you two?” Shelby asks with a smile, as she nervously bites her lip again, and before even waiting for their reply: “May I introduce you to my girlfriend, Toni?”

Lily’s eyes widen and Abby looks surprised but tries to hide this, unsuccessfully, by looking down and staring at her nails. 

“Oh! I didn’t know. Since when are you… I mean, I didn’t expect you to be, um,” Lily stutters, and fails to continue her sentence. “But good for you!”

“You have a gorgeous girlfriend!” Abby exclaims, as if she has nothing better to say, and seems to look immediately embarrassed afterwards.

Toni looks confused and flattered all the same, until she sees Shelby’s hurt expression as she watches Lily pull Abby away to walk off, with a… well, pretty disgusted look on her face.

“Ignore them, thy look like privileged naïve pricks,” Toni tries to reassure her girlfriend, as she takes her hand again and this time Shelby doesn’t let go after a few seconds. 

“Abby better doesn’t steal you away from me, though,” Shelby says jokingly and they burst out laughing, and they get so distracted that they don’t immediately notice Becca’s parents in front of them.

“Welcome, ladies,” Mrs. Gilroy says, in a sympathetic voice but looking down at their hands – still holding eachother’s – with a rather confused expression. Her husband seems to share her confusion. 

“Who is this lady who gets the honour to be your plus one, Shelby? A new friend?” Mr. Gilroy asks, with a smile that doesn’t cover up his suspicion and his hope to get his assumption of “a new friend” confirmed. 

Shelby takes a deep breath, and shares a look with Toni. Her deep brown eyes tell her “you don’t have to do this, my love, but if you do: you’ve got this. You can do this.” And Shelby’s emerald green eyes reply: “I know, my love, I just needed a few seconds to get ready and breathe.”

And she’s ready.

“This is Toni Shalifoe,” she says, blushing and voice filled with full determination and pride, “my beautiful girlfriend.”

Mr. and Mrs. Gilroy share a look, with raised eyebrows, and now they might not be as good at reading eachother’s eyes as Shelby and Toni do, but they probably mean something along the lines of: “what on earth is happening right now? This is not okay, definitely not, but should we just react as if it is?” 

“Well,” Mrs. Gilroy says, with a sigh, “We might not support this way of lifestyle, but who are we to judge who you choose to love?”

Shelby and Toni share a look again, a bit uncomfortable but slightly smiling.

“I didn’t choose to love her, her love chose me. And no one has ever loved me better than she does.”

Toni snorts softly at her cheesiness, then gives her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re so cheesy, love. But you’re the best.”

Becca’s parents don’t reply, they just slightly smile and it looks like they decide to choose, right in this moment, to take the first step to toleration – to tolerate their love for one another, and hopefully one day they, and everyone else, will celebrate their love. Celebrate it fully for what it is, and seeing the beauty of it. 

Moments later, everyone is sitting and admiring Becca’s beauty. Her dress perfectly complements her softness and grace. The ceremony is about to start and the sun shines down on the husband and wife to be, making it look like a scene right out of a cheesy movie. It’s without a doubt the most beautiful day of Becca’s life.

The sun shines as brightly on Shelby and Toni, the other lovebirds. Hands intertwined. Soft smiles and looks. Deep brown eyes and emerald green eyes that tell eachother: “this might be one of the most beautiful days of our lives, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> please leave me a comment :) it means a lot and i would love to know what you liked or disliked. also, i’d be happy to hear any suggestions for new fics. and would anyone be interested in a chaptered fic?
> 
> edit: i started a chaptered fic ☺️ in case you wanna read it: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28946364/chapters/71026851 💕


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